New Release! THE BONE CURSE, A Genre-Bending, Supernatural Medical Thriller

I wish I did. Life would be more fun. But in reality, a ghost could hit me upside the head with a copy of War and Peace and I’d still find a way to explain it. Thanks to my left-brain skepticism and years of science education, a believer in the paranormal I am not.

BUT…

That doesn’t mean I don’t find it fascinating, and it doesn’t mean I don’t want to write about it.

The Bone Curse, available today, takes a rational-minded man of science and tosses him into an otherworldly situation, one with curses, dark priests, and Haitian Vodou.

After getting cut by an old bone in the Paris catacombs, a skeptical med student must use the occult to stop a deadly curse and a vengeful priest.

The Hero:

Ben, the main character, is not a perfect guy. He’s a med student in Philadelphia who has worked and scrimped to attend medical school. As an introvert who keeps people at bay, he’s intense, driven, and serious, and often so focused on the endpoint, he misses out on the now.

BUT…

That’s about to change. In the form of a curse. One that requires Haitian Vodou to stop it.

In some ways Ben is like me. (Well, not the promiscuous part, I promise.) I first got the idea for him as a character while watching a supernatural television show. I wondered, “What would it take to get me to believe something like that?”

I fear it would take a lot. Much like it takes Ben. But eventually, if he wants to stop the infection he’s spreading and save those around him, he must look beyond Western medicine for a cure and use the occult instead.

Vodou vs. Voodoo:

A lot of research went into The Bone Curse. I wanted to differentiate Vodou—which is a religion and a way of life for many Haitians—from Hollywood’s version of voodoo, with its dolls and zombies. To ensure I was being respectful and sensitive to the practice, I asked a frequent visitor to Haiti to serve as one of my early readers.

BUT…

It is a thriller, and thrillers need bad guys. For Ben, that bad guy comes in the form of a dark priest who goes beyond what’s acceptable and moral in Vodou to make Ben’s life a living nightmare. Why? You’ll have to read the story to find out.

If this genre-bending, supernatural medical thriller sounds like something you’d be interested in, maybe you’ll give it a read. (Click for Amazon US link or other retail links.) If not, simply spreading the word helps immensely.

By the way, though The Bone Curse is a standalone novel, it is the first in a planned series in which Ben faces otherworldly situations. In book two, he’ll be a medical resident.

Thank You:

As a final note, I would like to extend a huge thank you to my publisher, Science Thrillers Media, and to everyone who received an ARC of the novel from NetGalley or from a giveaway and left early reviews, either on Goodreads or your blogs. Many of you have already spread the word on social media, and I am beyond grateful for that.

Having a book on NetGalley was a new and frightening experience for me. At some point I’ll write a post on whether I would do it again or not.

Oh, this one’s a late night page turner for sure. (The cat is complaining about the light on late, but can’t help it..will try to work it into a blog eventually, but not doing much screen time now – mild weather outside and also chance to yard redo before roasting.)
Oh, still weird about not being able to “like” your posts sometimes so I wandered back to say your calendar is cool – yoga pose definitely is helpful for internal organs – and big smile at the hand written note – a little thing that makes so much difference.
Happy April! (and this year is moving so fast)

What would it take for me to believe in a curse? Not much.. I’m a loudly proclaimed rationalist but underneath I’m superstitious as hell. Just bought the book and looking forward to reading it and reviewing, Carrie. And congratulations on another big achievement in your writing career!

Carrie, I just downloaded all three of your books. I thought I already had the other two but when I checked I did not. I remember my husband talking about the Seneca Scourge so I must have been waiting on him. No matter. I have them now and can’t wait to get started.

I’m sure I will enjoy them, Carrie. He-Who and I have followed you for some time. I think it was just before you published the Seneca Scourge that we started and he has your first two books downloaded. Somehow I stopped getting your feed into mine so hopefully I have that sorted out now.

Carrie it is a page turner! I was reading the Bone Curse flying home from Phoenix last night and dreaded the plane landing. It’s become a routine with your books. I do hope you will continue writing for a very long time.

Well Done Carrie…and the second is on the way. Are you going to do a Trilogy? Then, of course, there will be the movies….

“I need a curse to set me straight”, believe me Carrie you really don’t want that. You’re there typing out your books, I’m on the road (again finally) and run across some very strange and sometimes nasty things along those lines. I see the results in gutters of the world.

Congratulations! This book looks awesome and I can’t wait to read it. I love all things supernatural so it wouldn’t take much to convince me, and let’s face it I’ve seen some pretty weird things happen in the hospital that I’ll never be able to explain!

Thank you! I, too, have come across things that are seemingly unexplainable. I find them fascinating, but in my mind, I always chalk it up to coincidence or an explanation I just haven’t found yet. Maybe, like Ben, I need a curse to set me straight. 😄

Reblogged this on TALES FROM THE MOTHERLAND and commented:
I may be a lame blogger these days, but not all of my writing friends are. Check out this exciting news from writer, blogger, novelist, and DR. Carrie Rubin; she’s a rock star! Her last novel, Eating Bull, is one of my favorite thrillers, ever. I plan to get back to my own writing, blogging, soon… really, but for now, check out what Carrie’s doing!

Best of luck with your new book, it sounds very interesting. Looking for it now.
Let’s see, do I believe in the paranormal, supernatural, preternatural etc. The easy answer is no. However the late Carl Sagan was asked once if he believed in interstellar aliens and his reply : ” I see no solid evidence that aliens exist. But if that evidence is discovered in the future I will not be surprised”. While I don’t believe in ghosties I’ve experienced a lot of things (like we all have) that makes for head scratching.